A Shoulder to Cry On
by Leviticus Lied
Summary: YohxAnna, set in Dobe Village. Who does Yoh go to when he needs a place to cry?


_

* * *

He'll win. I know he will. He's strong enough to pull it off, and relaxed enough to make it look easy._

_Everyone trusts him. He's so predictable, always taking the road that will help the most people. Everyone expects him to know exactly what to do to make things right._

_Only I know what he goes through. Only I, whom so many despise and slander as a torturous witch, can give him a place to be safe, to be protected. He sees what the world is like, and he is smart about it. Nobody else in the group fully grasps the situation._

_My Yoh is depressed. Oh, no, not the sort of depressed where he would want to kill himself-he knows that that isn't an escape. He just gives peace to so many people that he hasn't any left for himself. So, where can Yoh go to be relieved of the world's troubles?_

_I, Anna Kyouyama, his fiancée, am his place to turn. I understand what he is going through, and I can help him to become Shaman King. He wants to create a world without sadness and pain, with the help of the Great Spirit._

_What is a girl to do? Whip him into shape, of course._

_He will run, practice, and train until winning the tournament is a breeze for him. Besides, when he is focused on something, he forgets the problems he'll have to solve later._

_So, when he's happy with his friends, in a world of his making, will it be my fault if I still love him?_

* * *

I woke up with a start as I heard my door opening. The light was out, so it was pitch black. At least I hadn't overslept- I didn't need to wake up Yoh until 4:00. I pulled my blanket around me and stood up.

"…Anna? Are you awake?" I recognized the voice immediately. My Yoh was in the doorway. What was he doing up? He needed all the rest he could get, for my training in the morning.

I flipped a light switch, illuminating the room. Yes, there he was, only without a shirt. He had blue pajama pants on, though. He also didn't have his trademark headphones. I could see every scar in sharp relief from where I stood…

"You should be sleeping, Yoh," I started to berate him, then noticed that he winced whenever I yelled at him, instead of brushing it off, "What's wrong?"

"I…couldn't sleep. I mean, yeah, I got my eyes closed, but man, were my dreams spooky!" He started to laugh it off. He always did that. No matter what happened, no matter how bad he was hurt, he would laugh and walk away. Not with me, though, I knew better than to believe him.

Opening my blanket, I beckoned him over. He closed the door, and padded softly toward me. I turned out the light, and grabbed his arm lightly. I lied down on the bed, and pulled him down next to me until I had my arms around his wiry chest.

"Anna, what're you…?" He resisted a little, but I held him close.

"Ssh, Yoh, it's all right. You're safe now." I was running my hands over his scarred skin, feeling the injuries and pain that had been left behind. When he was with me, he could forget it all.

I felt his arms come around me, pulling me closer to him. He breathed in my ear, "Thanks, Anna…You know, I don't think I've told you this before, but…I love you."

"Yoh, I…" but I heard him begin to breathe deeply and regularly. He was asleep. Oh, well, at least I could make his dreams better.

I fell asleep surrounded with his presence.

* * *

BEEP BEEP BEEP

I woke up slowly, now. My alarm was going off, which meant it was 4:00. Time to wake up…I opened my eyes.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Yoh? Oh, yeah, he'd spent the night in my room. Well, at least I didn't need to go all the way down the hall to get him.

BEEP BEEP BE-

I hit the off button. Reaching up, I shook my fiancé's shoulder. He opened bleary eyes.

"Ung…Wha…? Anna! H-hey, Anna, what're you…Oh, right, I kind of…Um?" He had jumped out of bed and was clear across the room in 0.2 seconds. _My_ training, thank you.

"Yoh, you need to run 30 laps around the block, then do 100 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, and after that I'll start timing you on the electric chair. If you do well enough, I'll let you off in time for breakfast." I got right down to business. He was obviously still trying to remember what had happened the night before.

* * *

After that, at sunset, Yoh and I went to the top of the building. I had spent all day trying to forget what he had said as he fell asleep. I was in complete denial.

He loved me? No, no that couldn't be right. I was just getting my hopes up. He was probably delirious, or he'd already fallen asleep, or maybe I'd heard him wrong. Yeah, that was it. I had an overactive imagination.

"Hey, Anna, look! It's a great view of the sunset!" Yoh was beaming at me. I might as well have entertained him, right? I walked over to stand next to him and looked.

I felt his arm drop across my shoulders. He leaned against me, letting his head rest on my shoulder. I felt a blush start across my cheeks.

"Hey, Anna, about last night," he mumbled.

"Oh, that? You were having nightmares, so I comforted you. There, end of story," I said quickly. Why was I blushing? I turned to go downstairs quickly. This couldn't happen! I wasn't going to be the one to bring him down!

"Anna, I was serious. I love you, I swear. Anna, look at me!" He kept trying to turn me around, but I wouldn't. He didn't need some girl following him around, being a weakness. I mean, look what happened with Manta and Faust; he was nearly killed!

My stupid training won, though. He physically lifted me up and made me look at him. I was crying by then, I think. I can't really remember. He set me down carefully.

"Anna, don't cry…Look, it's alright, see? I'll just leave and we'll forget all about this," Yoh soothed. He turned to go, but I grabbed his shirt.

"You see? …There you go again…being so blasted…nice all the time…" I tried to stop my tears. This wasn't becoming of me. Where had all my composure gone?

My love smiled, and stepped back to support me. I leaned against his chest, and felt his arms encircle me again.

"No, it doesn't work this way…I'm supposed to help you…I shouldn't need anyone's help…!" I sobbed. I was being such a baby.

"Come on, Anna…I'll be your husband one day. What're spouses for?" Yoh beamed.

I pulled his head down next to mine, and kissed him. Only, I had never kissed anyone before, and I don't think he had either. The whole thing eventually collapsed into a fit of giggles.

"Yoh, I love you," I sighed into his shoulder once I could breathe normally.

"Love you, too, Anna," my fiancé laughed, "Hey, you wanna give that kissing thing another go?"


End file.
